If you read a lot of blogs, you probably already knew this. If you didn’t know, this will help you make far better use of your time online:
I’m a longtime user of Bloglines. I think Karen first told me about it, and I’ve loved it ever since. With Bloglines I can see if any of my favorite bloggers have added new posts, and I can read them all in one page that opens very quickly. Then if I want to comment, I click directly over to the post. It saves me loads of time and I can keep up with more of my virtual friends that way!
rss feed: RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a file that contains frequently updated information such as blog posts, allowing users to subscribe using a variety of programs called feed readers.
feed reader: a web application which reduces the time and effort needed to regularly check websites for updates by creating a personalized “newspaper,”allowing subscribers to check for new content and automatically retrieve updates from the sites to which they subscribe. Google Reader and Bloglines are two common feed readers.
How do you keep up with your favorite blogs, and why? Do you prefer to visit the blog directly, get updates by email, or subscribe to the feed? If you subscribe to the feed, what reader do you use?
Was any of this new to you? Subscribing is easy: just use the FEEDS box in the upper right sidebar or click on the orange rss icon. And leave a comment to let me know which way you chose – the feed, or email updates.
Related posts:
I am with you, I use Bloglines to read thru all of my blogs. I also started using StumbleUpon.
I, too, use bloglines. It is so easy!
I use email. I don’t know how to use bloglines.
I use firefox’s live bookmarks for RSS feed stuff if the blog has RSS feed enabled. Otherwise I check in once a week with the blog or so. I like the feed because then I actually KNOW when it’s been updated, rather than having to take a guess!
Yes – LOVE Bloglines! I’ve been using it for a year or two, before that I had big list of bookmarks (that I had to check everyday of course, just in case someone had posted something new!) Bloglines has been a huge timesaver for me.
I follow your posts on Bloglines; though most bloggers that I know have been using Google Reader. The only downside to using a reader is that you don’t get to see any layout changes or tweaks. Every couple of posts I make sure to stop by the actual site to see if there have been any changes or things that I’ve missed due to the mercurial nature of the feeds.
We use bloglines. It is so much easier than clicking on blogs and waiting to see if something new has been posted.
I’ve been using reader for about a year. I got sick of constantly check to updates. I’m anal about removing blogs I don’t read so when I saw I have 190+ blogs in my feed reader those are blogs I actually read every day. Actually a few times a day the unread numbers go back to 0. Email would just clutter up my in box and going to find it usually means its forgotten or I’m checking constantly. I will often click through to the blog post but I really really like it when the feed is full. It makes things easier for me on busy days. Even if it is still full I’ll usually click through so I can comment.
Bloglines! My husband has switched to google reader.
I too use Bloglines and I LOVE it! So easy. There are a couple of blogs that I frequent that don’t have a feed, so I have to remember to go to the actual site and check for updates, but Bloglines makes reading all the others so convenient.
I use google reader and love it! It has saved me so much time. I do check the actual blogs from time to time since I love looking at other folks blogs!
Michele
I follow your posts and many others via RSS feeds in my Microsoft Outlook mail folder. I wish I could say that I was technically saavy in this area, but I actually stumbled across that orange button by accident and then to my amazement – Viola’ I had all these blogs to read in my mail folder! It was very cool!
Blessings,
Michelle
i am one of those people who constantly checks the 4 or 5 blogs I read daily
For those who have used both Bloglines and Google Reader: how do they compare? Was it hard to get used to the switch?
I use Google Reader and really like it. It has really changed how I read blogs. A few short months ago I was clicking from my “bookmarks” when I had time. Now I can read new posts from several blogs in just a few minutes!
I use Google Reader to keep track of the blogs I read. I’ve never used anything else, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I really like it. I do sometimes like to go to the webpages themselves, though.
~Kate
Which Proverbs 14:1 Woman?
http://www.proverbs14-1.blogspot.com
I prefer reading blogs from the blogs themselves but my company installed a really mean filtering system which has blogged all blogs, forums, social networking sites, etc.
Thank God for Google Reader which somehow escaped the filter. Now I can still read my favorite blogs as long as they have the RSS feed thingy. I can’t always see pictures with Google Reader at the office, but I can click on the little Google stars and then when I get home I can ask it to show me only the ones with stars and I can look at the pictures or watch the videos or whatever it is I wasn’t able to do at work.
I didn’t know about Bloglines. I assume its similar to Google Reader? Is one better than the other? I supposed my company’s filter blocks Bloglines and I should just stay with Google Reader since I know it works. LOL
Oops! What I meant to say in the opening paragraph in my previous post is that the company’s filtering system has BLOCKED all blogs, forums, social networking sties, etc.
Ok I just subscribed to Bloglines and I see that it has a lot more features and options and an overall better LOOK to it than Google Reader. I still need to see if it works at the office or if it’s blocked by the feeder. I took a day off today so that will have to wait until tomorrow.
Thanks to introducing me to it!
News to me, and good news too! Ihad seen the button to subscribe to blogs before, but I didn’t like having my email inbox flooded all the time. I’ve just been clicking on EVERY BLOG three times a day, which is tedious. Thanks for the tip!
Bloglines!
It has saved me SO much time, and any time I run across a new blog that I like, I just add in the feed. I currently have 130 feeds!
another bloglines user here.
I use GoogleReader … I’ve never tried Bloglines. I would love to see a comparison also!
As a mommy of soon to be 3 under the age of three, I don’t have time to check a bunch of blogs every day. I have a tab I go to that has my fav blogs, and that reaches maybe 10 blogs. Several post more weekly than daily, and that really helps, too!
If my dh suspected I was reading/subscribing to 20+ blogs a day (I am a speed reader but that’s not the point) I think he’d probably cancel internet!
So my method, though cumbersome, keeps me accountable.
If I have more time than usual on my hands, I have a tab for just “blogs” that has about 25 more that interest me that I can browse!
I mean that I catagorize my bookmarks/favorite links, in case that was hard to understand!
Whoops…nope, sorry, you’re going to have to credit someone else. I don’t use anything but my sidebar to check blogs (as in, click – nope, didn’t post; click – nope, didn’t post).
New Blogger posts underneath each sidebar link when the last post was, but I don’t have New Blogger (daughter does).
Hubby uses Bloglines, though, I think. I am inspired to try out one of these now. You gotta grow up sometime!
I just started reading blogs a few months ago and have just been bookmarking them and checking them all each day to see if there’s anything new. I’m going to check out bloglines right now!
i don’t know if you are still reading replies 2 this topic.
& that brings up a question for you. when you have a blog, do you get some type of notification when there are new comments left on your posts? otherwise how would you know if someone leaves a comment on a post you made a few days ago? do you just have 2 keep checking the comments?
as for me, your blog is the only 1 that i follow and i do email notification. I am glad to know about the readers… may add more blogs now
Melanie,
Yes, I’m still reading replies. All of my comments are emailed to me
automatically so I see the new comments on old posts just as easily as on
new posts.